Skip to main content
Close

Caregiving Tips

 

 

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey, in 2014, 2.6 million persons over age 65 were victims of identity theft. Learn more about how it happens, signs to look for, how to avoid financial abuse, and what to do next if it does happen to you.

You’ve completed the intake assessment, squared away the physical paperwork, and signed all of the enrollment forms. Your loved one’s first day at the day center is on the calendar! But now you're wondering: What will the day look like? How will my loved one do?

"Home care" and "Home health" are often used interchangeably, leading to confusion among families seeking the most appropriate support for their loved ones. While both services aim to enhance the well-being and independence of individuals in their homes, they differ significantly in their scope, focus, and requirements. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for making informed decisions that align with the specific needs of the individual. Read on to learn more!

It seems as though everyone makes New Year’s resolutions – eat healthy, clean out the house, exercise more, the list could go on and on. And despite our best intentions, these resolutions are usually out the window before we’ve even turned the calendar over to February. However, resolutions can be a great way to start off the New Year when you can keep them! Here are 5 resolutions for care partners that you can actually keep!

In Parts 1 – 6, I mentioned issues that Marie and I faced as we proceeded on this journey and I discussed the options we used to address them or overcome obstacles. Since we did not use every option available to us to take care of problems/needs as they arose and to give you a broader knowledge of the help that is available to you in caring for your loved one, we have compiled some resources and information that you may find helpful.

The holiday season often brings feelings of "guilt" for care partners. However, as we begin to be curious about these feelings of guilt, we begin to see this as something more than guilt - we begin to uncover grief, masquerading as guilt. Guilt and grief are both powerful human emotions, it is essential to understand their differences.

The holiday season is a time of new and old traditions, and sharing in the joy and togetherness of spending time with friends and family. But for families whose loved ones are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, the holidays can be stressful and overwhelming; and for family care partners, often difficult to remember the joy that holidays can bring. We have put together some tips to help you experience this holiday season even with some new challenges.

Holidays shouldn’t stop just because of a dementia diagnosis! If you’re visiting a loved one with memory loss, the holidays can be poignant, awkward, funny, and everything else. Here are a couple of ideas to help ensure they are also a positive and joy-filled experience!

It's no secret that the worlds of healthcare and memory care can be full of confusing acronyms. While acronyms can help make communication more concise, a conversation full of them can also feel as if you are on the outside and unable to keep up! We have compiled a list of common acronyms you may come across as a care partner and what they mean.

It’s important to gather as much information from your doctor as you can. Asking the right questions can help you navigate your appointments and this journey. Check out a neuropalliative specialist's recommended list of questions to ask your neurologist.

Summer 2023 has been marked by record breaking heat so far. In the midst of the summer season, it is crucial to highlight the significance of staying cool and hydrated, especially for older adults and individuals living with dementia. Learn some important information and tips to help keep older adults and those with dementia cool and comfortable this summer.

Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia can be all-consuming and any focus on self-care often shifts to ensuring our loved one’s needs are met first. It takes courage to ask for and accept help. Yet, asking for help is often a starting point on the journey of self-care. This care extends to our own healing as we grieve the loss of our loved one. The support of others, including Insight Memory Care, can be sustaining.

We can all use a helpful tip or two! Here are a few strategies that can be used to improve cognitive health and mental well-being for people living with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or dementia.

Summer is here, which for many of us means summer travel! Memory impairment adds a level of stress to taking a summer vacation, but whether you’re planning a day trip to visit family or a cross-country excursion, there are ways to minimize the anxiety. Here are a few tips to keep in mind for travel.

A big part of engaging in our programs is actually getting to the programs! You are of course welcome to provide your own transportation, but we know this may not work for every family situation. Here are a few door-to-door transportation options available in Northern Virginia to get here safely.

Our grief as caregivers can be so overwhelming. We may question ourselves “each day it feels like I am in persistent mourning, yet no death has occurred. I have lost loved ones to death before, so why now are my feelings as a dementia care partner so overwhelming?” Each day we may feel as if we are on a carousel of emotions - grief, loss, sadness, anger, joy, acceptance; a mixture of hope and despair, round and round we go. We must recognize the psychological impact of the ambiguous loss which accompanies our walk with our care person on this journey with dementia in order to begin to manage our unresolved grief.

Making important decisions for aging parents can be a challenging task, but Power of Attorney (PoA) can provide peace of mind and clarity in times of need. This article from Legacy Lawyers, PLLC will walk you through the different types of PoAs, why and when to consider a PoA, and how to choose a PoA.

When most people think of Parkinson’s disease, they think of a tremor. While movement symptoms are more noticeable, there are also cognitive changes that accompany the disease. During Parkinson's Awareness month, learn more and connect with resources from the Parkinson's Foundation.

Dementia gradually diminishes a person’s ability to communicate. Communication with a person with dementia requires patience, understanding and good listening skills. Learn more about effective communication strategies in dementia care.

Around 3 million LGBTQ+ adults are over age 50, and those that receive a dementia diagnosis face a particularly challenging set of circumstances. Many, including care partners, face disproportionately high levels of social isolation and stigmatization as they age, making it difficult to find support. Watch our recent webinar at take a look at the resource listing!

It seems as though everyone makes New Year’s resolutions – eat healthy, clean out the house, exercise more, the list could go on and on. And despite our best intentions, these resolutions are usually out the window before we’ve even turned the calendar over to February. However, resolutions can be a great way to start off the New Year when you can keep them! Here are 5 resolutions for care partners that you can actually keep!

Tuesday, November 29th is Giving Tuesday, a worldwide day of giving. You’ve probably heard of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday as shopping days – Giving Tuesday is day to celebrate giving! We celebrated live on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube all day – sharing resources, caregiving tips, advice, and stories. Check out the panels and presentations!

If you’ve been noticing changes in memory, for yourself or a loved one, making that first doctor’s appointment is a daunting step. Being prepared can help ease the stress and make the most of your time! Here’s what to bring, what to expect, and some questions to ask at your visit.

In the midst of summer, many of us reach for our favorite beach reads, looking forward to a few hours relaxing. However, as a caregiver for someone with memory impairment, those relaxing moments can be few and far between – and the few you have, that time is valuable! If you’re looking to make the most of your summer reading list, here are a few recommendations that we and other care partners have found helpful.

Many of us worry how seeing our grief affects our loved ones, especially as they may or may not still have the ability to process or comprehend the tragedy. It’s not possible to shield your loved one from everything all the time, so how can you best respond?

Memorial Day is just around the corner, which not only means the start of summer, but also the start of summer travel! Memory impairment adds a level of stress to taking a summer vacation, but whether you’re planning a day trip to visit family or a cross-country excursion, there are ways to minimize the anxiety. Here are a few tips to keep in mind for travel.

If you’ve had a loved one prone to wandering, you know how stressful this topic can be. The caregiver has to decide how much “freedom” a person with Alzheimer’s disease should have. At some point the person’s need to be safe will outweigh their diminished ability to decide where they want to go and when. Here are a few tips to ease wandering concerns.

With winter weather comes many things – a pretty dusting of snow, hot chocolate with marshmallows, and lots (and lots!) of indoor time. Freezing temperatures can easily make you go stir crazy, especially when trying to also care for and entertain a loved one with dementia. It’s easy to just default to watching TV all day, but by varying the types of activities you engage in, it really can still be the great indoors for everyone!

Receiving a diagnosis of dementia, or having a loved one diagnosed, can cause a range of emotions, from shock to relief. But what happens next? We’ve put together a checklist of things for you, your family, and support team to consider over the next few months (or more!) as you navigate your journey.

When holiday traditions have to be adjusted for a loved on with dementia, it can be hard to – well – adjust! With a few simple tweaks and managing expectations, the holiday season really can be enjoyable for everyone. Whether you
use a tip each day or unwrap them all at once, we hope these ideas can help you create a happy holiday season.

We celebrated Giving Tuesday this year by Getting Ready! We had four great panels and presentations as we shared more about getting ready for the holidays - and caregiving throughout the year! Watch and learn more about what to look for when visiting aging parents, ideas to enjoy the holiday season, and a sneak peek of our new Sterling space!

The opportunity to become a caregiver for a loved one can be a blessing and bring you closer. However, it can also be overwhelming! You have to deal with everything from how to switch a reversed sleep schedule to finding meaningful activities to fill the day. In honor of National Family Caregivers Month, here are 30 top tips from our Caregiving at a Glance Guide - one for each day of November!

Lewy body dementia is the second most common type of dementia, with an estimated 1.4 million Americans diagnosed. In honor of Lewy Body Dementia Awareness Month, we've put together a few resources, both at Insight and in the wider community that may benefit your family.

When a family member receives a diagnosis of dementia, it’s a huge puzzle to piece together. Our first thoughts usually focus on the person: How can we help them? How quickly might they progress? What kind of care are they going to need? But this is just the start of the puzzle; we often overlook the crucial caregiving piece! The family caregiver’s role is of vital importance. Caregivers have to take on many new roles— doctor, lawyer, financial planner, and caretaker—often not knowing where to start. Here are 5 tips for starting to build your caregiving skills.

When you hear the word “driving,” what comes to mind? Speeding down the open road, convertible top down, wind in your hair, driving off into the sunset? We’d all like to think of driving as idealistic, but in reality, it’s often more like stoplights, tailgaters, brake lights, and really just a necessity for getting to work and running errands. It is this commonplace driving situation that can become the most dangerous as dementia progresses. Delayed reaction times, poor judgment, inability to stay attentive behind the wheel, and frustration can be highly problematic in the stop-and-go traffic of Northern Virginia. So when is it time to stop driving?

Caregiving is a long, hard, full time job and caregivers are often called the hidden victims of Alzheimer’s disease. Although changes in the brain occur only in the person diagnosed with dementia, changes in behaviors, lifestyle, and demands occur for both the person living with dementia and the caregiver. Get some tips from our guide on managing your job as a caregiver.

Every caregiver seems to have an arsenal of comical caregiving tales to share with anyone who can relate. When caring for someone with a disease whose devastating effects and chronic long-term stressors are arguably unmatched, it is no wonder we hold so closely to these little pockets of joy. After all, as Henry Ward Beecher explained, “A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.”

It seems as though everyone makes New Year’s resolutions – eat healthy, clean out the house, exercise more, the list could go on and on. And despite our best intentions, these resolutions are usually out the window before we’ve even turned the calendar over to February. However, resolutions can be a great way to start off the New Year when you can keep them! Here are 5 resolutions for caregivers that you can actually keep!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – so the song goes. With all the parties, food – ok hold up. Scratch that last sentence. Normally this is the time of year we’d be posting advice for how to manage the holidays with everything that’s going on. Well, it’s 2020. So naturally nothing is going as planned. But, even though our holidays look a bit – okay, a lot! – different this year, here are some tips for making this the most wonderful time of the year, even in 2020.

Communication is 7% verbal (words and their meanings), 55% voice (pitch, tone, tempo, volume), and 38% body language (facial expressions, eyes, posture, movements, gestures). This is important because people with dementia may no longer understand the meaning of the words but they will be able to understand the remaining 93% of your communication. Make sure your body and voice are conveying the same message your words are trying to convey. Here are some tips for communication.

As much as you may try to avoid it, for many of us caring for a loved one with dementia hospitalization happens. Sometimes it is planned, sometimes unplanned, but it’s always stressful. But did you know that nearly 1 in 5 seniors who are hospitalized return to the hospital within 30 days? This just adds more stress! Hospital re-admissions can be avoidable when you are confident in your loved one’s discharge plan the first time around. Make sure that you can confidently make these 5 statements before leaving the hospital to help your loved one avoid another stay.

I’ve been having a lot of trouble with keeping up my responsibilities at home. These are all things that my husband and I used to share, but I’m starting to get overwhelmed with everything. It’s all up to me to care for him, clean the house, pay the bills, and then people tell me to take care of myself. But how am I supposed to have time to do that when I have so much to deal with?

Insight was the place where my brother would go for a fun, entertaining, and engaging day. Right now, of course, he’s spending a lot of time at home. I don’t have a background in recreation or activities or anything like that and I don’t really feel comfortable leading any kind of activities at home. Is there anything else in terms of activities you would suggest?

I’m having a lot of trouble trying to provide care to my wife. She always gets upset whenever I try to help her in the shower or with toileting. I don’t know what to do anymore because sometimes she gets really upset with me by yelling, and sometimes she’ll tell me that she’s already showered or gone to the bathroom when I know she didn’t. I’m getting very frustrated and overwhelmed with how she is reacting. Please help!

I’ve gotten into some arguments with my mom over the past couple of weeks and I feel like this didn’t used to happen. I feel short with her when I go over to her house to check in with her and it makes me concerned for our relationship. Any advice?

Giving yourself permission to take care of yourself is the first step in allowing yourself time for self-care. Making sure that you take care of yourself is just as important - if not more important - than taking care of your loved one! But now you may be asking, how do I actually do that? Here are a few suggestions that might be helpful as you begin to allow yourself time for self-care.

I’m so overwhelmed caregiving for my wife at home; every day is getting harder and harder for both of us. I know that you have an Adult Day program, but I don’t see how I could get my wife to agree to go to your Center. She doesn’t think that she has a problem. What do you suggest?

In the earlier stages you may have to face the “when-is-it-time-to-stop-driving?” issue. Some people with Alzheimer’s disease have good insight about what is happening to them and give up the keys when they feel unsafe or unsure. Others may not have any insight and insist that they can and should continue driving. You may be faced with the task of deciding when driving skills, judgment, and/or visual spatial perceptions have deteriorated. You will have to decide when driving puts the person with dementia and/or others at risk. Here are some tips to help with giving up the keys.

If you’ve had a loved one prone to wandering, you know how stressful this topic can be. You may find yourself constantly worrying about the person getting lost, feeling trapped in your home, or overwhelmed at the person always being on the go. You as the caregiver have to decide how much “freedom” a person with Alzheimer’s disease should have. At some point the person’s need to be safe will outweigh their diminished ability to decide where they want to go and when. Here are a few tips to ease wandering concerns.

Sharing a meal means more to most people than simple nutrition. When life-long eating patterns change due to dementia, caregivers can easily be frustrated. Trying to meet nutritional needs can be challenging enough, while also missing the social needs that sharing meals once filled for both of them. Here are a few tips to try to make mealtime more successful.

Blog

"I like that IMCC focuses on dementia-related problems and provides a focal point for families to network and socially interact in coping with dementia. It provides a community that helps us in our struggle."